


Awareness

by kristsune



Series: Magical Noir [2]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, NJ did not have a good childhood, NJ has an awareness, but things might start finally looking up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 21:59:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12308667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kristsune/pseuds/kristsune
Summary: NJ had a rough childhood, but things finally start to look up when he meets someone bright.





	Awareness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Starofwinter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starofwinter/gifts).



> This is an early birthday present for [ Jesse ](http://thebisexualmandalorian.tumblr.com/)  
> Thank you to Jesse and [Kaz ](http://variative.tumblr.com/) for letting me play in this au. I love it so so much.  
> Anomaly belongs to Jesse.

It hadn’t always been this bad, NJ thought as he shivered in the alleyway, trying to hide from whatever seemed to be tracking him. His life had always been a little strange, but not quite like this. 

He had always had an  _ awareness _ of those around him. Growing up, it was never a big deal. He just  _ knew _ where people were. After the strange looks his parents gave him when he could tell them the exact location of each of his brothers and sisters, he started keeping what he felt to himself. 

Occasionally he would feel something other, and he could never explain what it was. Most of the time they would keep their distance, but sometimes they got close, like they were seeking him out. It didn’t help that so many of them felt dark, and distinctly  _ other _ . 

He had already been the dark horse of the family, being a foundling, but his ability just alienated him even more. As he got older, he noticed things more and more often. He started to get paranoid about what they were, and what they wanted. His parents dismissing him anytime he mentioned anything, even offhandedly. Even his siblings just thought he was strange, and tended to avoid being around him.

They slowly isolated him more and more, and one night after NJ felt like something had been stalking him for  _ hours _ , and he had a panic attack in the center of town. His parents being publicly humiliated was a step too far after everything else, and they kicked him out. 

He had tried to stay, but was completely shunned by the small town as a freak and an outcast. So he walked, and hitched rides to the city. 

It was both better and worse there. There were so many more Other things in the city, but he was able to hide from them so much easier. There were so many nooks and crannies he could duck into to avoid whatever it was that was stalking him this time. Added bonus of being a nice quiet place to have a panic attack, away from prying eyes. He could never sleep for long, but those spaces worked for that as well.

NJ was rubbing his hands together, it wasn’t full winter yet, but it was getting there. He would have to find some of the cashes of spare clothes he had around the city.

He looked up and tilted his head. 

There.

Right nearby, there was a being, but it wasn’t like anything he had ever felt before. This, this was so  _ bright _ . It was almost difficult to focus on, like it wanted to slip away from his awareness. But he felt it, and he couldn’t let that go. 

NJ was on his feet, following this beacon before he knew what was happening. He was inexplicably drawn to them. He needed to find them. Needed to know what they were.

\-------

Anomaly was walking down the street, idly making a gold coin disappear, and reappear in his hand.  To most it would like sleight of hand, but in reality, he had access to an alternate realm where he could stash and reclaim them from. 

“Excuse me?” 

Anomaly turned at the timid, but clear voice.

“Me?” Anomaly was confronted with what he initially thought to be one of the many street urchins in the city, but he was a bit too old. Just another homeless person. It really was a shame, the lack of shelters in the city for them.

“Hello.”

“Here,” Anomaly flipped the coin to them, “this should help you for a while.”

The person, guy? He’ll go with that until corrected, smiled. Anomaly was suddenly struck by how beautiful he was. There was surface dirt, and grime, unavoidable in the city without access to regular clean water, but underneath that was beautiful light golden eyes, surrounded by the sharp planes of his face, still slightly rounded by youth, topped by what looked to be light hair, color unfortunately indiscernible through the soiled top layer. He looked slight, but that was not unsurprising for a homeless person. 

“Thank you, but that wasn’t what I was going to ask.” He handed the coin back to him, and when their hands touched, the man gasped. 

Anomaly normally didn’t connect instantly with strangers, but he was worried for this person. “Are you okay?” He held out his other hand, just shy of touching, worried they were going to fall.

He looked up at Anomaly with bright eyes, “Are you different? Not like everyone else? You’re so bright, you have to be.  _ Please _ . Please I have to know.” 

It all came out in a rush. Anomaly normally played anything personal very close to the chest, but there was  _ something _ about this person, something he trusted instantly. “Yes, yes I am.”

They bowed their head, a soft, relieved huff of laughter escaping them before looking back up at him, tears in his eyes. “ _ Thank you _ .” They wiped their eyes, “At least I finally know I’m not crazy. Not for this.” The relief in his voice was palpable.

“Would you- would you like to come to my place? I must admit, I  _ am _ curious as to how you knew that I was different.” Anomaly had no idea why he was inviting this stranger into his home, but the compulsion was too strong, and the words had already left his mouth. Besides, if this was a trap of some sort, Anomaly had enough sigals hidden in his home to keep out almost anything unsavory. 

Sometimes you just had to listen to that inner voice that tells you what is right.

They looked confused, “Really? You don’t even know me, know my name, or what I’m about?”

“Well, I’m Anomaly,” he bowed with a little flourish of his hand, “And you are?” The man smiled, and Anomaly already felt like he wanted to do all he could to see it again.

“I’m NJ, but you don’t even want to know what it stands for, my parents didn’t know what to call me, I got a horrible nickname, and it just  _ stuck _ .”

Anomaly smiled back at him, “There, we already know more about each other. Come, let’s get you cleaned up, and in some clean clothes.” Anomaly led him to his home, already sure he made the right decision.

\-------

“So you can just sense people?” Anomaly asked, speaking a little louder so NJ could hear him in the bathroom. The door was open, NJ apparently not caring about privacy. Anomaly tried not to look, but the flash of white on his muscled back as he dried himself off, caught his eye. 

Curiouser and curiouser. 

“Yeah, people and I dunno, things that are just  _ other. _ I could never find a good way to describe them.” 

“And you could sense me?” Anomaly was specifically ignoring the fact that NJ had called him ‘bright’, that was the last thing he was. 

“Yes! You were different even than anything else I have ever felt.” NJ walked out wearing a set of Anomaly’s sleep clothes, just slightly too large on him. It made Anomaly’s heart flutter in a way he didn’t expect. He shoved that feeling down hard. Not the time.

“Huh. I have a theory. We’ll have to test it, but I think you can sense supernatural creatures. Which is, frankly, fascinating. Never knew anyone who could do that.” 

“Really?” NJ’s eyes were bright with relief, and curiosity, “So I’m really not crazy? I was sensing something that really  _ was  _ there?” 

“You’re not crazy. Promise. Now why don’t you get some sleep. I still have some things to do, but we’ll finish this later, okay?” 

NJ stretched before curling up on the couch, where Anomaly spread a blanket over him. He was asleep before he was even finished. Anomaly brushed the hair out of his face before leaning back.   
  
Yes, Anomaly  _ definitely  _ made the right decision. 


End file.
